Mumbai Metro III will see heavy curbs on building projects along route

Builders will have to submit their design plans and take clearance from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) for every development project which falls within 50 metres (160 feet) on either side of the 33.5km-long metro systemNauzer Bharucha | TNN | August 14, 2017, 11:00 IST

File photoMUMBAI: Building construction and redevelopment projects along the upcoming underground Metro III rail between Cuffe Parade and Andheri will now be regulated and controlled.

Builders will have to submit their design plans and take clearance from the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) for every development project which falls within 50 metres (160 feet) on either side of the 33.5km-long metro system.

TOI has also learned that even after the metro is completed, no development will be permitted up to 6.5m or 20 feet on either side from the outer boundary of the metro tunnel. This is likely to affect redevelopment of many old and dilapidated buildings along the entire congested Girgaum stretch from where the metro line will pass through.

Construction experts also warned that building heights close to the metro tunnel and stations could be restricted in the future. Structural engineer Jamshed Sukhadwalla, a Girgaum resident, said, “If builders think they can develop tall buildings near the metro line and reap a bonanza, then they are sadly mistaken.’’

The BMC, which sanctions building plans, has now been directing developers to first seek a no-objection certificate from the Metro III authorities.

A Girgaum developer who recently approached the BMC to revalidate his building permission, was told to approach the MMRC first for clearance.

“The objective is to regulate, control development of land or building along the Metro rail alignment for purpose of timely construction of the corridor and also for safety of the building as well as the metro system,’’ said a MMRC letter to the municipal corporation.

At a public presentation recently, MMRC official C M Jadhav said builders will have to submit their plans to the rail corporation so as not to endanger the buildings and underground metro rail. “We will issue the NOC within three weeks,’’ he said.

Maple, a general consultant appointed by MMRC, has already issued guidelines for building construction along the metro corridor.

The consultant has recommended building restrictions in five zones for safety and protection. The zones are marked as First Reserve, Second Reserve, Third Reserve, Safety Zone and Protection Zone.

According to documents accessed by TOI, no construction will be allowed in First Reserve which is shown as around 20 feet on both sides of the outerface of the metro tunnel. In the Second Reserve, which is about 111 feet further outside the First Reserve, the consultant has stipulated several conditions and restrictions: “No trench, excavation, pile or well deeper than 1m below the existing ground water level will be allowed unless suitable measures are taken…’’

R Ramana, MMRC’s executive director (Planning), the design of each building will be examined before permission is given. “We ask builders to consult IIT for their building designs. For tall buildings, developers will have to drive piles much deeper than the metro tunnel and take support from the soil/rock,’’ he said. The metro tunnel has been planned 20m to 25m below the road level.

Ramana said high-rise buildings could come up near the metro line, but warned it would depend on the type of foundation and soil conditions. Another senior official attached to the metro project claimed a distance of 6.5m from the outer boundary of the metro tunnel is “considered safe for construction’’.

The MMRC had surveyed 1,435 buildings along the metro III alignment to check for visible cracks or distress in these structures during the planning of the project. These buildings were inspected in terms of their use, age, type of structure, height and basements. Sixteen buildings were found to be “critical’’ and placed in the “very severe’’ category. These include Cassinath Building, a ground-plus-four-storey building on D N Road in south Mumbai, which was built in 1872.

Sukhadwalla said he had warned MMRC in early 2015 that all these 1,435 buildings have deteriorated further. Now MMRC’s appointed contractors carried out a pre-construction building condition survey. In their reports dated April 14, 2017, they have classified most of these buildings as “structural health of the building is generally unsatisfactory’’.

Sukhadwalla said he had predicted the state of these buildings without even carrying out a survey.

The 33.5-km Metro III has been mired in controversy; citizen activists have protested the large-scale hacking of trees to make way for the project and the plan to build a metro car shed inside the eco-sensitive Aarey Colony.

Currently, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied at 12 per cent on payments made for under-construction property or ready-to-move-in flats where completion certificate has not been issued at the time of sale.